A little bit TED talk, a little bit buddy comedy and a little bit dystopian science fiction, Never Trust a Creative City untangles the complex relationship between artists and gentrification. Laugh, rail and weep with protagonists Emma McManus and Maria White (Too Rude), as they embark on a comedic journey through rising rents and social dislocation, arts-led urban renewal, pop-up galleries and ‘really dumb things on the internet’.

Disillusioned with the state of arts funding, the dismantling of public services and art history’s problematic narratives, McManus and White inject a healthy dose of feminist chutzpah and attempt to unravel the terrible formula: art + city = gentrification. Inviting audiences into both circular reasoning and ethical quandaries, Never Trust a Creative City steps beyond the creative precinct to expose the gentrification of our minds, bodies and behaviours.